Caulfield Stakes on the table for impressive Vinrock
Burgeoning star Vinrock (I Am Invincible) brought trainer Matt Laurie compensation for a blow to his headline act Treasurethe Moment (Alabama Express) and put forward his Caulfield Stakes (Gr 1, 1600m) claims with an imposing second-up stakes win Saturday.
A hero of the autumn through his first three unbeaten starts including the double of the VRC Sires’ Produce Stakes (Gr 2, 1400m) and ATC Sires’ Produce Stakes (Gr 1, 1400m), Vinrock had looked disappointing first-up this campaign when fourth as favourite in Caulfield’s McNeil Stakes (Gr 3, 1200m).
But rising 200 metres in Flemington’s Exford Plate (Listed, 1400m), and with punters staying firm by backing him into $2.80 favouritism, Vinrock looked back to his best in scoring his first win for Yulong since they purchased him after the autumn.
Jumping from the widest gate of 11 for Mark Zahra, the three-year-old colt crossed easily and parked menacingly outside the leader Wise Inlaw (Wootton Bassett) under an even tempo. While Wise Inlaw battled hard, Vinrock showed his class by taking over at the 150 metres, and strode away to a 1.75-length win.
West Of Swindon (Wootton Bassett) finished strongly for second at $8.50 ahead of $6.50 shot Wise Inlaw, with that pair providing their Coolmore sire with still two more stakes placings as his wait for his first Australian-born black type winner continued.
Laurie had sobering news during the week in the wake of Treasurethe Moment’s slashing first-up win in the Memsie Stakes (Gr 1, 1400m), with the four-year-old suffering a mild bout of colic which put her out of Saturday’s Makybe Diva Stakes (Gr 1, 1600m).
The picture brightened a couple of days later, with Laurie announcing the mare would be on target to run second-up in the Feehan Stakes (Gr 2, 1600m) at Moonee Valley on September 26.
Should she line up in the Group 2, the mare will need a new pilot with her regular rider Damian Lane copping a 15-meeting suspension for his ride on Aeliana (Castelvecchio) in the Makybe Diva Stakes.
And Vinrock ended the week on a high for the stable with a win that took his earnings past the $1m mark, after he was bought by Laurie and Wilannah Park Bloodstock for $300,000 at Inglis Premier.
“I think he’s a pretty tough horse. You put it to him, he tries pretty hard, so I think when the going gets tough he’ll give his best,” Laurie told Racing.com.
“He’s a quality colt, he’s by the right stallion. I’m really pleased for Yulong. They’ve purchased him, he’s going to be standing there one day, and it’s nice to add to his CV again.”
Laurie said while Vinrock wasn’t suited by the 1200 metres of the McNeil, the early speed he showed to cross from his wide barrier on Saturday was “one of his assets”.
“He can begin well. Obviously over a shorter trip he found it a little bit trickier, but he’s a horse that we’ve always felt would be pretty good over a little bit further,” he said.
“It was a good set up today for Mark, and I’m very pleased to see him back in the winner’s circle.”
Laurie confirmed a return to Sydney for the Golden Rose was likely on Vinrock’s agenda.
”I was hoping we’d be going to a Golden Rose third up. I still think we should be looking that path, but we’ll have a good chat tomorrow,” he said.
Zahra said Vinrock had “needed the run” first-up and was better suited on a larger track on Saturday.
“He had to come across from the wide barrier and he was a bit keen early, but once he got into his rhythm he was fine,” Zahra said.
“The winkers can probably come off now that we know he’s trying hard again. I was just able to rest him off the other horse [Wise Inlaw] and he’s a horse that needs to be at his top coming into the straight because he can quicken off that. He showed a bit of grit.”
Bookmakers responded by tightening Vinrock to $8 third favouritism for the Caulfield Guineas, behind Autumn Boy (The Autumn Sun) at $4.00 and Nepotism (Brutal) at $4.50. Vinrock also shortened for the Golden Rose (Gr 1, 1400m) at Rosehill on September 27, from $18 to $11.
Bred by Rosemont Stud, Vinrock is the third and best foal of Girl Gone Rockin’ (Redoute’s Choice), who won four races including the VRC Matriarch Stakes (Gr 2, 2000m).
Second dam Sorrento (Just A Dancer) won five stakes races across both sides of the Tasman, highlighted by Rosehill’s Queen Of The Turf Stakes (Gr 2, 1500m) in 2001 – four years before it became a Group 1.
Girl Gone Rockin’ missed to Dundeel (High Chaparral) in 2024, and was covered by Churchill (Galileo) last spring.
Vinrock became I Am Invincible’s second stakes winner and 21st overall winner from 110 runners for the new season. One of the Yarraman Park stallion’s 121 stakes winners, Vincrock brought up the 266th stakes win for the 21-year-old, who’s covering his 16th book this term at $220,000 (inc GST).